The Success Center

Wanna Take Your Blog to the Next Level?

Wanna take your blog or website to the next level this year?

Here are 3 sure-fire ways that you can take your blog or website to the next level in 2012.

Write Great Content

Ever read an article and it makes you feel like the author was talking to you? This is what great content is. It all starts within your niche, finds it way to a topic that is relevant to your readership, and ends in a great article title and blog post. It really hooks people into who you are and what your business is all about.

Tip: To write great content try finding out what your readers want to learn how what their biggest issue is within your field and solve their problems. You can do this easily by doing a survey or a poll.

Produce High-Quality Content

Short blog posts are fine if you just want to put a few thoughts out there, but you’ll gain a following and community by posting higher quality posts. That doesn’t mean it has to be long, just a bit more refined, fleshed out, and pumped full of tips, advice, and ideas.

Tip: Take your time when writing a blog post. Always set out to write your best content and don’t just “throw” something together to post. Imagine if the president of the U.S. was reading your blog, wouldn’t you want him/her to leave with a great impression of you?

Generate Rich Content

I’m more of a magazine reader than a book reader. I’m spoiled on pretty graphics, fancy design, and bright colors. Why not add pictures, videos, and audio to your blog to enhance your articles? Don’t just write a post an expect people to read the whole thing.

However, they might if you give them an incentive to keep going. That could be a great video or picture in the middle of your text. Whatever you do It’ll add more depth, keep reader attention, and enhances the rest of your copy.

Bonus Tip: Need help in organizing your thoughts, blog posts, and ideas for articles? Here’s a great video of how I create an editorial calendar for The Success Center. Check it out; “How to Create an Editorial Calendar for Your Blog.”

Bonus Tip #2:Want a visual cheat sheet for all this? Check out my info-graphic: 12 Easy Steps to Writing Killer Blog Posts [Infographic]

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

About The Author

Rod Kirby

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Can you imagine setting up a booth at a convention where everyone gives you their business without having to make a single sales pitch? That’s the potential power of social media. It removes the mystery, hesitancy, and coldness of marketing and creates relationships where none existed before.

Many of you know how much of a Twitter-holic I am, but do you really understand why? It’s not because “it’s what’s hot right now” and I certainly don’t use it just to let people know “what I’m doing.”

It’s a conversation starter and engagement platform. By interacting on Twitter I generate targeted traffic to my website, quality business leads, and build relationships for life. Below you’ll find some ways you can do the same for your business.

5 Tips for Growing Your Business on Twitter

• Share High-Quality Links - the key to attracting targeted followers is to share information, news, and articles consistently. People are always searching for things on Twitter. If you can point them to a reliable source of information then you’ll become valuable in their eyes. The higher your value the greater chance you have at being retweeted and shared with their followers.
• Offer Advice to Newcomers - Whenever someone tweets, “Please welcome so-and-so to twitter” I immediately jump, introduce myself, and offer an article from my site that can help them get started with Twitter. Doing so positions you as “the go to” person that they’ll refer to when they need help. It’ll also start the basis of a solid follower relationship that will transform into site traffic.
• Share quotes and Retweet often - If you don’t know what to tweet find something good someone else has said and share that. Find quotes that enhance your brand’s theme or image. You can’t go wrong quoting the wisdom of others and you’re 10 times more likely to get retweeted as well.
• Start a Hashtag - “#Hashtags” allow people on Twitter to find and track conversations. Some examples are, #FollowFriday, #MusicMonday, etc. Create one unique to your brand and get people involved on your website and Twitter. Mine is #Successtip, where I share inspirational quotes. This keeps your message and brand consistent and easy to follow.
• Ask After Serving - remember to share more than you plug your website, product, or service. The last thing people want to do is engage with a salesman or woman. However, once you’ve shared over 50% of your tweets, feel free to throw out a link or promotional message about your business or website. This is the essence of social networking for business.

Follow these tips and you’ll grow your following in no time. The best part of all, they’ll want to know what else you have to offer or how you can help them in someway. It’s a win-win for all and you didn’t even have to make a sales pitch. If you’re new to Twitter or want some more power-tips, read my article, “Are you a Twitter Newbie or Power User?”

How do you grow YOUR business on Twitter? Share your thoughts – and your Twitter handle (so others can follow you) in the comments below.

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

About The Author

Rod Kirby

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Tomorrow marks the first day of the last month of the year – where did the time go? (Well, we know for sure that ‘time’ didn’t take a break or a holiday!)

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

About The Author

Rod Kirby

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The Nametag Guy

The Big Business Show is back and it’s better than ever. This is part 2 of my interview series with Scott Ginsberg, aka. The Nametag Guy! If you missed part 1, stop what you’re doing right now, go back and watch it, and come back to this post [It's that good].

In this interview you’ll learn;

• Why you should always charge what you’re worth for your services
• How not to “box yourself into” one title and be an ultimate resource for your clients
• How to identify your “service keywords”
• What marketing really means
• And much, much, more!

Big Business Question

BONUS VIDEO!

How many ways can your clients use you? How many ways can you profit from your products or services? Scott shows you How to Create a “Buying Continuum” exclusively to members of my Facebook page. Head over to Facebook, like my page, and enjoy the show!

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

About The Author

Rod Kirby

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Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing has become the “buzz word” for internet marketers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners from around the world. If you fall for the hype, internet gurus will lead you to believe that you can get rich by blogging, sharing Twitter links, or advertising on Facebook. But, the truth is, you’ll only go so farwith this mind-set of “internet riches.”

What is social media marketing exactly?

Simply put, it’s one of the best ways to generate new leads for your business, get noticed online, build a marketing platform, and add sales to your bottom-line.  However, it doesn’t plant a money-tree in your backyard like many “marketing mavens” would have you believe.

What are the benefits of social media marketing?

Maximized to its fullest business potential social media can be used to;

• Position your business as a brand leader in its industry,
• Grow a loyal following & community of your brand online, and
• Boost sales through targeted advertising.

How can YOU get started marketing your business using social media?

There are many ways to build a following and profit from social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. However, before joining those sites you should start a blog. Blogging for business can be your way of informing, educating, or inspiring your customers. It gives you the opportunity to share your story and build a web presence for your business.

Here are 5 of my best tips and advice for starting a blog and taking it to the next level;

1. 7 Keys to Blogging Success
2. How to Create an Editorial Calendar for Your Blog
3. 8 Magazine Strategies that add Value to Your Blog
4. Top 3 Reasons YOUR Business Needs a Self-Hosted WordPress Blog
5. HOW TO: Make a Mobile Version of Your Blog [iPad Too!]

Once you have your blog set-up and rocking, you’ll want to use Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks as marketing “outposts.” An outpost is a secondary position from your home base (which is your blog). The goal is to build a community across these sites, engage with them in new ways, and ultimately drive traffic back to your blog.

Here are 5 of my best tips and advice for maximizing social media & networks for your business;

1. The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Twitter Success
2. 7 Ways to Deliver Excellent Customer Service Using Twitter
3. The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Awesome Social Media Etiquette
4. 5 Tips on Managing Social Media for Entrepreneurs
5. The Barack Obama Guide to Social Media Marketing Success

Remember, social media marketing is an excellent way to build a marketing platform for your business online. It’s not to be confused with internet “get-rich-schemes” or wealth systems. Yes, some people do exploit social media in those ways to make money, but their success is temporary and never long-term.

I’d love to share more ways to maximize social media marketing for your business, so sign up for free updates from The Success Center to learn more.

- Rod Kirby, Editor-in-Chief, The Success Center

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

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This article comes from Tai Goodwin of Taigoodwin.com.

Turn Your Browsers into Buyers!

The quality of the content on your site can mean the difference between generating more sales or driving away prospective clients. Creating something unique and creative enough to grab the attention of the reader is important to attract readers. But relevant content that helps solve prospective clients’ problems is the key to converting your readers to buyers, which will make your website profitable. This is why blogging is a foundational element for anyone marketing their products and services on line.

Here are three often overlooked ways that content can help you attract and convert prospects:

Focus on Keywords

Perhaps the best way to attract traffic to your site and gain new readers is by writing content rich with keywords for greater search engine optimization (SEO). Using keywords that your target audience is searching for will help your website reach the top of the search engines and bring more customers to your site. Knowing which keywords to use requires some research on your part.

There are many sites on the web, which will allow you to plug in a word and display how many people search for it on the web. Use these tools to plug in some of the keywords from your content and then properly place them throughout your content. It needs to be placed organically so the content remains in a natural, flowing manner and not forced.

Tip: Don’t just focus in the solution or benefits when thinking about key words. Many people search by asking a question. For example, people may not search specifically for business coaching, but they will search for “creating a business plan.”

Give It Away

The easiest way to build a list of potential customers is to offer a free give away. How does this help convert readers to buyers?

Here’s how it works:

1) In exchange for the content they give you their email address.
2) You send them an amazing free product that demonstrates your expertise and provides immediate value to them.
3) Since they have opted into your list, you can now send them strategic email messages that strike the balance between solution-focused content.
4) Now that you’ve established trust and credibility, you are in perfect position to make them an offer they can’t refuse.

Don’t sweat it: Your free give away doesn’t have to be a 40 page ebook. It could be as simple as a checklist, a mini report (5-7 pages), a video, or a downloadable audio file. If you’ve got some great content from when your blog just started (and you had fewer readers), consider bundling up old posts on a related topic and creating a digital download.

Talk About Your Products and Services

Promoting your product and services throughout the content of your blogsite is one of the best ways to peak your customers’ interest. This doesn’t mean blatant pitches attached to every post. It does mean finding creative ways to incorporate benefits of what you are offering into your content. You can do this through case studies, question and answer posts, sharing testimonials, and even sharing about future products and services.

Try this: Look for places to include clickable graphics of your product that lead to a special sales page. Once there, give them the option to either make a purchase or receive more information. This allows you to develop an even more targeted mailing list that you can market that particular product to.

Remember, getting people to come to your blog is the first step. Once they are there, you need to proactively keep them coming back for more. Implementing one or all of these content marketing strategies is a practical way to convert online prospects from browsers to buyers.

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

Tai Goodwin

About the Author Tai Goodwin is a career and business coach who helps service-based entrepreneurs launch theirbusiness while working full-time. The founder of the Brilliant Network Mastermind, Tai is the co-hostof Small Biz Chat on Twitter and Your Brilliant Success on BlogTalk Radio. She offers business start-upplanning at www.careermakeovercoach.com.

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Last week I was approached with an opportunity to join a network marketing program. This wasn’t the first time the idea has been presented to me. Ever since I was 18 people have tried to recruit me or present their MLM (multilevel marketing) businesses to me. I believe people recognize the “entrepreneurial spirit” within me and that’s typically all that’s needed to get them excited. I sent the person an email thanking them for the opportunity and declined the offer humbly.

I’ve always been willing to listen or review information regarding MLM businesses, but I will never join one. Why? In my opinion they’re bad investments of time, money, relationships, and vision. Through this series we’ll explore my stance on the issues of network marketing/MLM from a biblical and practical perspective. We’ll also take a look at some of the benefits of starting in a network marketing company from the perspectives of people that are making it work for them. I’ve also reached out to the Twitter and Facebook communities to see where everyone’s head is on the subject. It’s my goal that you walk away with a greater understanding of multilevel marketing and are able to take your own stance of whether or not it’s worth your investment.

There are many people that will either agree or disagree with what I’m about to share. I welcome all opinions on the topic as long as they’re constructive, educational, are mature in nature, or add value to the overall conversation.

Just to be absolutely clear, I will present facts, testimonies, and opinions that will support both sides of the equation. I’m not going to tell you to swing one way or the other. You’re going to have to make up your own mind on that one. So, as we venture down this two-way road, which way are you initially headed? Do you think network marketing is worth investing your time, energy, and money in? Are you currently working in a MLM or network marketing business? Sound off in the comments below!

Head on over to the next part of this series, What is Network Marketing?

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

About The Author

Rod Kirby

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Image via PMQ

Like every entrepreneur, I swim through a ton of emails every day. Mostly from current clients, people interested in my services, and even from a few folks who claim that I won the lotto (and all they need is my bank info to wire the money) . . .

But, every once in a while,  readers like YOU send me questions about your businesses. I try my best to answer everyone, but I admit, sometimes I can be a little slow to respond. So, I’d like to share some of these great questions that I’ve been getting lately. These are things that many of you have or will experience at some point as a business owner.

If you have a question for me concerning YOUR business, drop me a line by filling out this form. I promise to do better in responding in a timely manner.

Enjoys these letters to the editor. Leave your two cents in the comments below.
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Susan Long

I am opening a business in a rural town. I want to do it debt free and so far, I have been blessed with the resources I need to make progress every week. Today, I was tempted to purchase the needed equipment at Lowe’s because they have 18 months same as cash. I am hesitant to do this because I don’t know if the business will be successful or not and I don’t want to be stuck with a 3500.00 bill and no extra income to pay for it. Do you have any suggestions?

Hi, Susan, thanks for sending it that great question. To be straight up and honest with you, You know what you have to do. You were hesitant in purchasing that equipment for a reason. You should maximize EVERYTHING that you have first, build up some cash flow, then buy the equipment you want with cash. You mentioned, “I have been blessed with the resources I need to make progress every week.” So what’s the rush?

Take it from me, if you buy that piece of equipment and can’t afford to pay off the debt, it’ll haunt you [and your credit score] for the rest of your life.

Rod

Recommended Resources: 5 Ways to Start a Business without Going into Debt, 5 Free Ways to Market Your Business

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Keven Joslin

Rod,

I subscribe to your blog and I am very happy about the content that you put out. [I'm] not sure if this is in your line of business. I’m a struggling inven-trepreneur (inventor, entrepreneur) who would like to start his own business but [with] the economic downfall of this country it is virtually impossible to obtain a loan. Other alternative would be VC or Angel investor.

So I have decided to license my invention to manufacture[s] or companies intrested in my invention. Do you have any advice.

Regards,

Kevin

Thanks, Kevin!

It typically costs inventors more in bringing the idea to life than it does to bring it to market. So, I feel your frustration with the economy and the need for capital for your invention. However, until you can land a big licensing deal, manufacturing partner, or business partner; look to alternative methods of bringing your invention to market. For instance, go the back-door-route and instead of focusing on the product, think of your marketing. Partners, venture capitalist, and etc. make it easy for brands with public support to get money. Start building a platform for your invention to launch from.

Start networking on Linkedin and getting involved with angel investor groups online. Get a community to rally around your knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of the issues the product is supposed to solve [Blogging is an excellent way to do this!].

Once you have your platform built, brand set, and community ready, it’ll be a lot easier finding the funding you need to manufacture your product!

Rod

Recommended Resources: HOW TO: Build a Brand for Your Business, HOW TO: Build a Marketing Base for Your Business

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Dan Black

I have a quick question for you. I have a blogspot.com account but want to have my own website (with the ability for people to easily subscribe to my blog, follow me on social networking sites, re-posting ability.) Your website is a great example!

I have been researching godaddy.com and bluehost,com. I was wondering where you go for your hosting and web design? And any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thank you, Dan Black

Hey, Dan, thanks for the compliment. One thing I’ve figured out, whenever you start self-hosting your blog, you’re never done “setting it up.” You’ll always find something to tweak, change, add, or subtract.

Godaddy and Bluehost are great web hosts and are very affordable for setting up a blog (especially WordPress). However, I swear by my host, Fused Network [Aff link]. They’re not cheap but they won’t cost you your first unborn child either. I’ve been with them for almost 2 years and their service pays for itself over time.

I’m glad to hear you’re ready to move from a “free blog” to a self-hosted version. The benefits of which are; the ability to make money online (ad revenue, sponsorships, affiliate sales, etc), the ability to build a community, the community to launch a brand, and more!

Selecting a web host is actually the easy part. It’s actually developing a blog that’ll achieve the goals you want that’s the tough part. However, I’ve got a ton of tools for you on my resources page. Check it out whenever you get a chance.

Best of luck!

Rod

Recommended Resources: 4 Pillars to Building a Successful Blog, 7 Keys to Blogging Success

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Need some advice on how to market your business? Are you stuck in an entrepreneurial rut? Get help by writing me here!

Note: All of the recommended resources come from the Best Of page. Check out even more tips and my best advice for business success!

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

About The Author

Rod Kirby

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Do Your Customers Evangelize for Your Business?

What is an evangelist?

An “evangelist” in the simplest sense is “a bringer of good news.” Its derived from “eu” which means “good.” Plus “angellein” which means “announce.”

Evangelist have a sense of mission and purpose about spreading their news…hence the term “mission-ary.”

The same fervor an evangelist has for the Gospel, a customer evangelist has for a product or service.

You NEED customer evangelists for your business. All the marketing and advertising in the world can’t replace them. Why? Because marketing is YOU talking about you; customer evangelism is THEM talking about you.

Which do you think is more valuable?

No matter what you choose, here are 5 fundamentals of customer evangelism every entrepreneur should know:

1. Customer Evangelists Only Promote Great Products

Not an “ok”, “not too bad,” or a thingamabobdoohicky. But a GREAT product! Evangelists don’t preach “ok” they proclaim things that they believe will turn the world upside down!

Make your products great by listening to your customers, incorporating their feedback, and making things they actually want to use. Use polls, quizzes, and surveys to garner feedback of your products, services, and make adjustments from there.

2. Customer Evangelists Promote Things That Are Bigger Than them

It’s no secret that purpose-driven companies go further than their counterparts. And who’s the poster child of a purpose-driven company? You guessed it: Apple.  From  the start Apple had one purpose: change the world with breakthrough technology.

When Jobs was thrown out, the company lost sight of that purpose: choosing to focus more on marketing than on engineering–pointing out past successes than looking for future opportunities.

This cant be stressed enough: great entrepreneurs have a purpose beyond making money. They set out to change the world in some way. And evangelists make sure to promote those companies.

3. Customer Evangelists Like to Feel Special

Say what you want about Lady GaGa… but one thing you have to respect her for: she knows how to take care of her fans! How? She never calls her fans “fans”…instead she calls them “Little Monsters” after her album “The Fame Monster”; she calls fans…uh…excuse me…”Little Monsters”…during her shows and invites them to have a drink with her.

Whether it be exclusive offers, invites to special events, making them a mayor…whatever it takes…show them its a great privilege to be an evangelist.

4.  Customer Evangelists Love To Share

This is almost a no-brainer, especially in this social media age. But the concept of sharing has been around before Facebook. The benefits of social media are immense! Just ask Cisco…they used social media to shave $100,000 off a product launch.

5.  Customer Evangelists Like To Feel Included

NO ONE likes to feel like a puppet. And the best way to make people feel like they’re a “part of something” is… to make them a part of something! Evangelists are not mindless mics, they’re people who promote what they believe in and are a part of.

The Apostle Paul said: “We are laborers together with God.” (1 Corinthians 3:9 KJV) In other words: “We’re partners and co workers together in this.”

Make your apostles and prophets feel like partners. Instead of answering every user’s question set up a forum where users can answer each others questions, ask what items you should carry in your store, create a round table discussion group (maybe once a quarter or so) and so on. You can use services like Tinychat for such meetings.

Afterthoughts

Customers evangelists are a powerful asset to start-up companies and entrepreneurs. Make them feel special enough and they’ll drum up support for your product or service automatically! What other fundamentals of customer evangelist can we learn from major corporations, small businesses, sports authorities, or even entertainers? How are you evangelizing your customers online? What about off-line? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

About the Author

Mike Holmes

Michael Holmes is an author, speaker, and blogger. On his blog he teaches Biblical Strategies for Startups.

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

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Linkedin 4 Blogging?

We all know the power of LinkedIn. It’s used to:

• Build a network
• Further a career
• Be seen as an expert
• Raise funding
• Acquire new customers
• Find answers to business questions

And though I have used it for some of these reasons…I recently found out the opportunities it held for my blog. I have seen first hand how I was able to generate an average of 50 comments per post.

I kid you not.

So in this post, against my better judgement,  I’m going to step-by-step instructions on how to build engagement and conversation around your posts.

Disclaimer: though what I’m about to share with you will bring shares and views it may not bring actual comments to your post. The comments will be reserved for the groups that you’re in. People will make most of their comments in the group…not on the blog posts. I hope you’re not too choosy about WHERE they comment.

So here they are…the steps:

Find the Right Group

This of course depends on your expertise. For instance my blog deals with Biblical Strategies for Startups so some of the groups I use are:

• Small Biz Nation
• Startups and Entrepreneurs Get Funded
• Christian Business Leaders Network
• Lead Change Group

Remember: pick the group based on your expertise.

Start Small Talk

If there’s anything we’ve learned over the years with social media: you have to GIVE in order to GET. Comment on other posts, join in conversations, and interact with members. You don’t just go into a building, look at everyone, and shout, “Hey everyone!! Look at me!!” They’ll look at you…but probably not the way you want.

Focus on Your Content AND the Title

Though great content is the backbone…a lot can said for great titles (or headlines). When I looked at the most UNPOPULAR blog discussions in my group these were some of the titles:

• Purposeful Leadership: Thoughtful Thanksgiving
• LinkedIn to Business: Talk Amongst Yourselves
• Project Managers Must Fight for Time to do Things Right
• Helpful Article on B2B Marketing
• Celebrating a Sadness

Yeah…I know…riveting titles huh? Makes you want to stop what you’re doing to read them?

Not!

The funny thing is…those are probably some great and insightful articles…but without a catchy title…who wants to read them?

The articles I’ve had the the most success with were:

• How One’s Man Purpose Turned Apple Into a Powerhouse
• The 5 Mind-Blowingly Simple Strategies Any Startup Can Learn from Lady Gaga
• The Frustrations of Being a Startup: Lessons from King David
• What Do You Do When Your Church Sucks
• How to Prospect Like Jesus
• What is the Purpose of Social Media for the Believer
• 5 Ways to Turn Customers and Prospects into Apostles and Evangelists

Make the headlines sticky!!

Share Your Stuff and Fan the Flames

Once you have the content ready with a sticky headline its time to share it. An easy way to share your stuff through multiple social sites is by using the Share-a-holic plugin. It is awesome!

Once you shared the post and start to get comments…jump on them immediately!! One mistake I used to make with my earlier posts was not getting in on the great conversations people were having about my posts. By getting in on the conversation you are fanning the flame for viral exposure.

Reply to each comment, answer each question, and fan the flames!

Use the comments to Make Another Post

I did this recently with two guest posts. I wrote a guest post entitled How One Man’s Purpose Turned Apple into a Powerhouse. The post went nuts on LinkedIn and brought dozens of comments (many from some very high profile people–including the CEO of a Fortune 500 company and a best-selling author). I then used their comments (with their permission of course) from that post for another guest post entitled How Important is Purpose to a Startup. Their comments not only added huge credibility…they helped in getting that post to go even further!

There you have it! My 5 step strategy to build engagement…is there anything I missed?

What do you think?

About the Author

Mike Holmes

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